Part 1 - Yarrow's left and Jesper is moody :(

16 Jan, 2026

Jesper is face down on Yarrow's bed, covers clasped close, knees drawn up to his chin. Sol opens the wide door to the cottage softly, despite the amount of effort it took for her small stature to push it. She climbs up onto the bed beside him, nuzzling her horns at the mound of bed sheets.

"Jesper needs to eat! C'mon!" She laughs, pushing harder into the blanket. It groans back at her in response. "C'mon, Jesper," She says, this time more desperate. "you need to eat. Have you ate anything at all today?"

"No."

"You've got to eat! Kena is out fishing for you, you know. If you won't eat the soup Yarrow left for you, then Kena is going to come in here and---," She pauses. A smile creeps across her face. "and you won't like it when he comes in here with a fish, ready to eat, just for Jesper!"

The round pile of blankets groans louder at her.

"No!"

"We can... put it in the soup? Make fish soup? For Jesper."

The blankets say nothing this time.

"Yarrow wouldn't like that his friend is not eating because of his absence. I think."

"Does not care!"

"Jesper!" Sol yelps, once again pushing into the bundle of blankets before her like a small ram. "He'll be back in a few days. Why don't you go and find a new bug?"

"Does not want to." Jesper pulls the sheets even closer to his face. "Does not care about bugs right now."

Sol lets out a fake gasp.

"Does not care about bugs!!! This is not the Jesper I know. Must be imposter." She teases. "This is not the real Jesper at all."

"Is real Jesper! Imp is real Jesper." His sad, pathetic little face peeks out from under the blankets at her.

"I know you're the real Jesper." Sol smiles. "Is just unlike Jesper to not care about bugs. Or not like you to not fight Kena on killing fish for you to eat."

"Does not like fish to die for Jesper."

"Yes."

"But is not hungry."

"You're hungry. You can always eat!" Sol pulls herself closer towards him. "You're stressed, I think, is the word! Yarrow would say something about... hmmm... probably causes illness to be stressed! This is something Yarrow would not want for Jesper!"

"Yes... Is true." Jesper peeks one eye open at her. His tongue rolls out of his mouth limply. "Is not good to be sad." Jesper huffs, gaining a bit of energy. "But... is okay to be sad. Yarrow says. Friend says... mm... hehe---" His little hand emerges from within the sheets and grab's Sol's playfully. "---says it is okay to feel sad sometimes! Is big feeling for imp. And, and---" Jesper sits upright, the blankets falling behind his shoulders. "---and friend Yarrow says, he is sad sometimes too! Is good to feel! Is good feeling. Not bad. Is good."

"Yes!" Sol agrees.

They're interrupted by Kena opening the door cautiously. He walks in with a fish that has been prepped and ready to be cooked. Sol exchanges a look with him that tells him to put it in the pot hanging over the lit fire. It'll be waiting for whenever Jesper is finally ready to eat.

"Jesper. I'm going to go with Nona, Nia and Lon to look for food to bring back to the den later tonight. Will you stay and talk to Kena?"

Kena looks over towards the two, caught off guard. His body language begins to protest, but realizes he is not given an option.

"Talk to Kena?" Jesper's eyes dart open as he slumps back over, resting his head lazily on the bed.

"Yes!" Sol falls forwards, resting on her elbows, crawling towards Jesper's blanket fortress. "Kena likes to talk to Jesper."

Jesper peeks at him. Kena stops in place, motionless.

"Sometimes, Kena will tell me all about the things you two talk about. Says Jesper is very silly---"

"---Sol." Kena begs her to stop.

"Says it in a way like, hmm, 'is not so strange, Jesper is a silly imp'." Her voice deepens in an attempt to imitate her bondmate's. She chuckles, knowing he is not too thrilled with her. The grin growing on Jesper's face is worth the earful she's going to get on their way home.

"Sol does not know what she talks about. Makes things up..." Kena rolls his eyes, stepping towards the two on Yarrow's bed. In a quick swoop, he flies up, grabbing Sol, and rests her gently just outside the front door to the cottage. "Oh---what time it is. Getting late! This one must go off with the others to forage." Kena meets Sol's gaze for just long enough that the lighthearted animosity between them drains in an instant.

"Likes Kena." Sol whispers, throwing her face down so that their horns may lock.

"Likes Sol." He hisses out, returning her affection. This exchange of phrase is something started by Jesper.

He gently closes the door on her, just enough to keep the chill out. Kena turns to face Jesper, who is wide-eyed and curious as to Kena's next move.

Kena flies to the bed, landing softly beside the mound on the bed. Jesper sits up, wrapping his arms around Kena, and bringing him in close, careful of the position of his wings. He does not protest.

"Did Sol try to coax you out with a bug hunt already?"

"Yes." Feeling mouthy, Jesper softly gnaws on his friend's ear.

"Did it work?"

"No. Did not."

"Did not? Not even with the sticks to catch many, many worms?"

"Mm. Sol did not say about sticks, but, imp does not want. Wants to stay indoors, by fire. Is warm."

"Is feeling sorry for himself instead of finding a bunch of worms." Kena smirks. Jesper hears it in his voice. "What I would give to see a bunch of worms withe up from the dirt. How the bond would gawk at the many, many wiggling worms. Could be fun."

Jesper exhales, grumbling under his breath. His teeth go back to focusing on one of Kena's ears.

"Did see new bug."

“Ohh. Was not a worm?” Kena rolls his head backwards, disrupting Jesper’s chewing.

“Was not.” Jesper’s tongue peeks out from his mouth with the tiniest blep. “Kena does want to see new bug? Or many worms? Really?”

“Cannot lie to bondmate---is not fond of bugs, worms… The things that Jesper likes. But,” Kena hesitates. “I know that these are the things that make you happy.”

Jesper pulls him in close, wrapping him in a quick embrace. His wings fly up to create distance. They share a small laugh as he folds them back close to his body.

“If Kena is not excited to see new bug, does Kena want to see what Jesper has done instead?” Jesper tilts his head. Kena looks back at him from over his shoulder, with an expression of wildly growing concern. “Does have books!” Jesper blinks out of existence, leaving the bed sheets to rapidly fall. “Has books imp has written, has drawn in!”

Reappearing beside the fireplace with two hefty looking notebooks, Jesper shuffles them around in his grasp, turning pages without purpose.

“Or has books Yarrow has written! Friend is very knaw-ledge-able! Hehehe---teaches Jesper to read and to write… can spell many things now! Many is two! Two things! Can spell ‘LEAF’ and can spell ‘WORM’ and can read these words, too! But is very hard! Hard to learn for imp… but can read simple words. Very simple. Maybe writes, um… maybe writes—hehehe—thank you card for imps, for friends, when Yarrow returns, for helping Jesper to feel better! Needs Yarrow’s help to write… mm, to teach imp how to read the words that imp and friend will write to imps!”

Kena can see that Jesper’s mood has lightened. He pats the bed, beckoning Jesper to return, hoping his wordlessness will call him back in a more relaxed state. Jesper happily blinks from his spot beside the bookcase, and back to the bed.

“Let this one see.” Kena begins grabbing at one of the large books in Jesper’s hands. He flips it open to reveal Jesper’s crudely drawn paintings and misspelled labeling. This is lost on him, however, as he cannot read at all. “Oh. This is certainly a worm.” Kena’s long claws follow the shape of the painting.

“Yes!” Jesper beams with pride. “Is night crawler! Very scary name! But is good. Is good worm.”

“Does it… ‘aerate the soil’, as Yarrow would say?” Kena mutters under his breath with a hissy tone. Jesper opens an eye to read his friend’s demeanor. Kena’s low head gives him conflicting information against the smile on his face.

“Yes.” Jesper grins in return. “Yes! Is very good!”

[I'll continue this another day!]